“Babymoon,” “gription,” and “gustnado” – just a sampling of the creative new words and expressions submitted by the public to Merriam-Webster’s Open Dictionary this week. Read on for their definitions…

babymoon (noun) : a short vacation for a couple before the birth of their child.

Example of use: The appeal of this brief but indulgent experience — known as a babymoon in travel industry parlance — is pure escape.—Hilary Howard, The New York Times, May 16, 2007

softscape (noun) : the plant elements of a landscape.

Example of use: The term hardscape is in use to refer to paving stones, brick walls, and other solid features of a landscaped space, as distinct from softscape – the actual plants that make it a garden.—Ruth Walker, Christian Science Monitor, April 6, 2007

hardscape (noun) : masonry, wood, and other non-plant elements on a landscape.

Example of use: Think outside the garden, too. Where possible, your hardscape should complement the locality.—Matt James, The Sunday Times (London), May 6, 2007

gription (noun) : ability to secure an object or thing : traction.

Example of use: Sandy’s gloves did not have enough gription to prevent them from slipping away from the steering wheel.

gustnado (noun) : a swirling column of air that is similar to a tornado in appearance but is weaker and is usually associated with a downburst or straightline winds in a severe thunderstorm and can cause tornado-like damage.

Example of use: The gustnado caused minor damage to the farm as the storm passed.

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When you notice a new word — on the radio, in a book or magazine, or online — and discover that it’s not in the dictionary, then it’s a good candidate for Merriam-Webster’s Open Dictionary. Some words catch on, some don’t. It usually takes a few years for a word to enter the language and be used by many people in many different places. Lexicographers collect the evidence of new words used in print to determine when they are to be entered in the dictionary.

The Open Dictionary is a place to record new or specialized words or old words with new meanings.

Each Friday I’ll be offering a weekly roundup of some of the intriguing new words and expressions submitted to the Open Dictionary at www.Merriam-Webster.com. Some of these words are being used in active English but have not yet found their way into the pages of print dictionaries. Others are clever or useful coinages. We welcome contributions from readers of the Britannica Blog — simply click here to join the fun.